After the Fact
by Specter14
Summary: Based on a Phic Phight prompt: "A post Phantom-Planet fic in which Danny is getting used to his new fame and recognition as a superhero." -by Love-ly-ish. Team Ghost! Things got a bit crazy after Danny's secret was revealed. How did he handle the new fame and attention, both good and bad? And he didn't even want to think about going back to school!
1. Chapter 1

**Full prompt** **by Love-ly-ish: "A post Phantom-Planet (or post reveal, if you hate PP that much) fic in which Danny is getting used to his new fame and recognition as a superhero. His teachers, classmates, and even former bullies are all suddenly treating him differently, and Danny's not quite sure what to do with that."**

**Hey guys! So I'm participating in an event called the "Phic Phight," which is a fanfic writing event during April. That is why I am writing in response to prompts instead of my two other stories (but dont worry, updates are coming eventually. Maybe not until May, but not too much longer (hopefully xD)).**

**So this idea has been in my head for a while, and this prompt gives me a chance to write it! At the moment there are eight chapters planned. The second part of the prompt won' t be majorly addresed until about halfway through, but it will eventually. **

**If you know me and my rare, poorly planned updates, itll be a miracle if i get all these chapters done in less than a month. xD But im definitely going to try. Wish me luck lol**

**Anyway thanks for clicking and hope you enjoy whatever the heck this is!**

**Chapter 1 Word count (not including bolded message): 1,875**

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the cracks of the closed curtain, casting unique patterns of light onto the carpet. Muffled commotion could be heard from outside over the cheerful chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

The teenager shifted under the blankets. He didn't want to get up yet. He was exhausted for some reason, and snippets of the strangest dream were still present in his memory...

Blue eyes slowly blinked open. The smell of pancakes wafted into the room from downstairs. His favorite.

Why was his mother making pancakes? Usually they were reserved for special occasions like birthdays or holidays.

With a grunt, he sat up in the bed and let out a yawn. With a glance at the clock, he noted that it was after ten o'clock in the morning. He rarely slept in this late; either the need to attend school or his ghost sense would wake him before the sun rose.

He reclined back in the bed and picked up his phone, scrolling through some missed messages and notifications. His friends had been texting him, asking how he was. Even some classmates that hadn't contacted him in years had spammed him with calls and texts.

The boy frowned. Everything about this morning seemed odd. What was he forgetting?

A muffled yell from outside startled him. At that moment he realized the strangeness of the noises from outside his house. Usually people were afraid to even approach FentonWorks, for a multitude of reasons. But now, it sounded like the whole town was out there.

He turned intangible and floated out of bed, flickering into invisibility before he stuck his head through his closed curtain.

Danny gasped at how many people were scattered around his yard. Reporters speaking in front of cameras, excited teenagers wearing black shirts with his logo on them, various members of Amity Park, unfamiliar strangers. There was a crowd of all sorts of people, all with their collective sights on his house.

He shakily retreated back into the comfort of his room. Parts of his 'dream' came back to him in a blur. Purposely losing his powers, that weird ghost asteroid, going to Antarctica to turn the entire earth intangible, revealing his secret in front of the crowd... in front of the cameras. The smiles of his family and friends. And Vlad abandoned in space..? That part sounded too good to be true. But the rest? Not so much.

The vividness of the memories and the weird events of this morning were proof that something had happened. It all had to be true.

He slowly let himself drop to the floor. Shock and nausea hit him like a wave. He was exposed. The government would be coming any minute. Everyone hated him. He put his family through this.

It was all his fault.

A knock on the door startled him. He was stricken with shock. His family knew. His parents must hate him. He had to run, he had to escape before—

"Danny?"

He blew out a silent breath of relief. It was Jazz. He didn't have to face them yet. He could still run.

Shaking, he stood up from the floor. He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

Silence. His doorknob turned, and he stepped back into the corner furthest from the door. Maybe his parents were with her. He couldn't be too careful.

She peeked in before entering and quietly shutting the door behind her. She smiled sympathetically. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

He remained silent and didn't move from his corner. The shouting from the front yard wasn't helping to calm his nerves. His flight instinct was practically screaming at him to leave. He couldn't deal with this. He just couldn't.

Jazz must have noticed his spiraling expression. "Hey... Danny, it's going to be okay. We'll get through this, I promise."

He swallowed, daring to ask the question he didn't want to know the answer to. "D-do I need to leave?"

Her expression morphed into surprise and a hint of pity. "What? No, of course not."

Danny wasn't convinced. The fear that his parents would hate him—_did_ hate him— still lingered. It had been there ever since his accident, and now it was stronger than ever.

He must have spaced out, because the next thing he was aware of was his sister hugging him. Swallowing back the lump in his throat, he melted into her embrace. He hated how he was still shaking, how she pitied him. He was stronger than this.

Wasn't he?

"Oh, Danny..." She whispered. "They love you so much. In fact, they're afraid that you hate _them_ since they've put you through hell and back."

He took a shaky breath. Did they really think that? He never hated them. It wasn't their fault, not really. They didn't know... they couldn't have known.

"They want to see you, to know that you're okay." She ruffled his hair. "Mom even made pancakes. Don't worry, I made sure that they're not contaminated." There was humor in her voice, but the concern remained.

Apprehension gnawed at his stomach. The thought of even approaching the steps to go downstairs made him feel sick.

But he couldn't keep hiding from this forever.

He took a deep breath. "Okay. Just let me change clothes."

She smiled warmly at him and gave him one final squeeze. "I'll go make sure that the alarms are turned off."

He couldn't help but snort. He could only imagine the awkwardness if he set off the Fenton alarm as they were about to have a serious emotional conversation. It had happened before, but back then they had no idea why it was set off.

He took a few calming breaths before moving to his closet.

* * *

The phone rang for the millionth time that morning. Maddie Fenton groaned at the ear-splitting noise, continuing to flip the pancakes. It seemed like everyone and their grandmothers were calling to get a chance to talk to the world's new hero.

She heard her husband approach the phone just to unplug it. "People just won't stop calling, will they?" He joked. "If only all of them wanted to buy our inventions! Then I would answer every single call!"

She smiled in the man's direction. "Who knows, dear, maybe this will end up increasing our business. But we have other priorities right now."

He hummed in agreement, sitting back down at the table and picking up the newspaper. It already had events about the previous day all over the front cover. _Their_ _son_ was all over the front cover.

The mother sighed quietly and returned her gaze to the pancakes. Some of them were blueberry, which had been Danny's favorite since childhood. The thought made her think back to those days that she still cherished, when her children had been young.

Some things never change.

_But_ _some_ _things_ do _change_, she thought with a tired smile. Ever since the prior afternoon, things had been crazy. Well, things had been crazy for several weeks, as the response to the asteroid was being planned.

Then her old college friend had revealed himself as a ghost and tried to take over the world.

She still remembered the horror she had felt when he threatened the Earth. All this time, he had been tricking everyone, manipulating everyone, behind even the noses of her and Jack, two of the world's best ghost hunters.

_Well_, _maybe_ _not_ _the_ _best_ _after_ _all_, she thought humorlessly. A ghost had been literally living under their roof for over a year, and they had no idea until the day before.

She sighed and started a new batch of pancakes. A few minutes before, Jazz had left the room to go check on Danny. He had been so exhausted after saving the world that he fell asleep before the return plane even took off. He had been too tired to explain anything yet, which made everything even more of a mystery. Jazz had also kept quiet, insisting that he should be the one to let them in on everything they had missed.

It pained her to think about it. All this time, her son had been out fighting ghosts and getting hurt and dealing with Vlad, and she and Jack never knew, never even suspected anything. All of their ghost inventions went off around him, and they still didn't even think to question it.

They had been blind. Blinded by their hatred for ghosts. Blinded by their hatred of _Phantom_.

The stairs creaked. She whipped her head around to see her daughter returning.

"He's coming."

Her heart seemed to stop. She was going to see her son again and apologize for everything. Everything that she had done that hurt him.

"Took him long enough." Jack joked half-heartedly, also clearly nervous. He wasn't his usual boisterous self after everything that had happened. It turned out that Vlad, who he considered a best friend, had hated him all along. And who knew what the wicked man had done to Danny, from the way their son had always seemed to despise him.

Maddie brought their late breakfast to the table, squeezing her husband's shoulder reassuringly.

"Before he comes down, I just want to tell you something." Jazz sighed. "I know that you're afraid that he hates you after everything that happened, but that's far from the truth. He thinks you hate _him_."

"What?" Maddie answered sadly. "We would never—" Her words died in her throat. Of course they would never willingly hurt their son, but they did that without knowing. Ignorance was no excuse.

Her daughter smiled sadly. "Just know that he's terrified to face you. He's been terrified this whole time that you wouldn't love him anymore. That's part of the reason that you didn't know until now."

Silence filled the kitchen. Tears prickled in Maddie's eyes.

"Well, we're going to have to prove him wrong, then." The father answered, smiling slightly. "He's our son, no matter what." The woman smiled in agreement at her husband's statement.

The stairs creaked. Three heads turned to see Danny frozen in place with eyes as wide as a deer's in the headlights.

"I knew I should I flown down..." he muttered to himself, and then his expression dropped when realized what he just said. "I-I mean... uhh... what's for breakfast?"

Jazz couldn't help but giggle, and soon the laugh was contagious.

"Here he is, my dork of a brother." He blushed at his sister's statement, still frozen in the stairway, as she served herself some hot pancakes. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jack grinned and took a huge stack for himself.

Silent as a ghost, Danny shyly approached the table and sat down, clearly relieved when no one gave him a second glance.

For now, it was a normal family meal, and no one could be more grateful.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's a slightly longer chapter. Be proud of me! This quick of an update hasn't happened for like two years, lol. In other news, I'm bad at writing Jack. xD RIP this chapter**

**Thanks for your favorites and follows and reviews! Every time I get an email alert I get so excited! So thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Word count excluding bolded portion: 2,468**

* * *

The family sat down comfortably in the living room, waiting in silence. Maddie and Jack had ditched their hazmat suits and ghostly weapons for obvious reasons. The sight of their family looking so... _normal_ was strange. It was just another of the many things that had changed since the day before.

Danny bit his lip nervously, his mind in turmoil. There was so much that his parents didn't know... and he didn't want to tell them in the slightest. Maybe it would change their view of him. Maybe it would change their minds about loving him despite his ghost half. Maybe...

No. He couldn't keep doing this. They loved him.

Still, the very thought of telling them about some of his worst fears made his heart race. He couldn't tell them yet. He wasn't ready. Maybe he never would be.

He took a deep breath, silently reassuring himself. _Dan isn't my future anymore. I won't become anything like him. I promised myself and I promised my family. __But... I can't tell them. I just can't._

He looked at Jazz, who shot him a calm and urging smile. He blushed when he saw his three family members looking at him. They'd probably been doing that for a while. _Crap._

"So..." He muttered, crossing his legs nervously. "I should probably start from the beginning, right?"

"That would probably be best." His sister commented dryly, her mouth twitching up as a reaction to his glare.

"Okay. I, uh, I never told you this. And you're probably going to be mad that I didn't." His family gave him concerned looks, and he sighed as he continued. "So, you remember when you were first building the portal, right?"

"Yes, of course!" Jack answered excitedly. "We almost gave up on the darn thing, but then we miraculously got it to work!"

"Heh, yeah, _about that_..." The teenage boy rubbed his neck. "I saw that you were upset about it, so I wanted to help. Uh, well... did you ever wonder where the on and off buttons went?"

Maddie frowned. "I vaguely remember misplacing them. Jack, dear, do you remember what happened?"

The man shook his head. "I thought I installed them, but later I couldn't find where they were. Turns out they weren't needed anyway, though!"

"Well... they were inside the portal." The boy informed them. "And I found them. And pressed them."

Maddie practically turned into a mother hen, obsessing over something that happened more almost a year prior. "You did what?! You went inside the—do you have any idea how dangerous that was?! How could you even think of doing something like that?!"

He blushed at the thought that Sam had technically been the cause of it. He definitely wasn't going to mention that. "That's not important. Long story short, it turned me into... this." He awkwardly gestured to himself. "At first it was horrifying. I had no control over anything, and I was phasing through walls and floating randomly for like a month. On top of that, I was too scared to tell you. Sam and Tucker were there when it happened, and for months they were the only ones who knew."

He went through some of the most noteworthy stories of his past, including skirmishes with Walker and Skulker and Frostbite and some of the other familiar ghosts he knew, both enemies and allies. Every so often someone would chime in with a question or comment, and for the most part it was a positive family discussion. The Fenton parents were enthralled by his experiences, especially curious about the Ghost Zone and the true properties of ghosts.

After the conversation seemed to wind down, comfortable silence filled the living room again (except for the constant noise from outside, of course. They would be hearing that for days.).

"What about Vlad?"

The boy froze at the uncomfortable topic. "Oh... you, uh, want to know more about him?"

"We just want to know what he put you through." Jack answered gruffly. Danny frowned, feeling guilty about the situation and sorry for his father. It must have been hard to all-of-the-sudden be exposed to the old college friend's betrayal and hate.

Maddie took over. "We're so sorry that we let him anywhere near—"

"It's okay. Really. You couldn't have known." The halfa sighed. "I'm just glad he never tried to hurt any of you. He... excuse my language, but he's a manipulative, self-righteous asshole."

"Yeah." Jazz muttered. "That about explains it."

Danny stared at the ground as his family looked at him with a mix of concern and expectancy for a larger explanation. The thought of Vlad made the teenager feel sick. He had dealt with the man's taunting and manipulation for a long time, and talking about it would just get him worked up. "I... don't want to talk about it." He said quietly. They elapsed into silence. The two parents met eyes before looking back sadly at their son. "Do you think he's really gone for good?" The boy asked with an even smaller voice. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. What if Vlad did return? The possibility made him horrified for both his family and the rest of the world.

"I hope so, honey." The female ghost hunter said reassuringly. "You've been dealing with this on your own for too long. Whatever happens, we'll be right by your side." She gave him a loving smile.

"We won't let him hurt you again." The man added, even smiling a bit at the youngest Fenton. "Not on my watch, Danno."

The boy smiled, tears prickling at his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that." His voice was stained with emotion. He mentally cursed; he promised himself that he wouldn't cry over this.

Heroes didn't cry, after all.

He snapped back to reality when he felt his mother sit close beside him. He didn't hesitate to bury his head in her chest, barely holding back a sob. Her arms wrapped around him, and she pressed a light kiss to the top of his head.

He felt safe.

* * *

It had been way too long since he had talked to his best friends, even though he had just seen them yesterday. A lot had changed since then.

Danny collapsed in his desk chair and started a group call. He needed to hear their voices again, maybe even fly over to see them later.

"Hey." Sam was the first to pick up. "How are you doing?" She asked sincerely. The line clicked as Tucker was added to the call.

"Heyo." The geek greeted, oblivious to the girl's previous question.

"Hey, guys. I'm doing okay, considering the circumstances." The half-ghost replied. "What about you two?"

"Fine. We would come over, but the mob around your house is kind of intimidating." Tucker said sheepishly. "Plus, my parents are debating whether to ground me or not for knowingly putting myself in danger since the beginning of freshman year." The trio would be sophomores in the fall. Luckily they still had the rest of summer vacation to get used to the revealed secrets and their new fame.

"My parents are livid, but I couldn't care less." Sam said cheerfully. Her two friends chuckled at her characteristic statement. "I can come over if you want me to. I bet I could get the crowd to move."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Danny muttered, imagining his best friend, now girlfriend, intimidating dozens of people in order to get to his door. That reminded him, he still had to talk with her about what their relationship was now. Mentally making a note of it, he continued talking. "I could also fly over to pick you up, you know. That would save the trouble of mentally scarring hordes of people."

"Where's the fun in that?" She sounded disappointed, and the half-ghost found it concerning that he couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or not.

"I would suggest we get a bite at the Nasty Burger, but I think we would probably get mobbed." The techno-geek commented in amusement. "Don't get me wrong, I'm loving my new status as a savior of the world. It's a great way to seduce the ladies. But there are definitely times when it gets out of hand."

Sam snorted at the boy's flirtatious statement. "All right, Romeo. I'm sure there are tons of girls who would date you just to meet Danny."

"I hate to say it, but she's probably right." The halfa answered, not quite managing to suppress a smile. "I'm being overwhelmed with emails and social media mentions. I even got an offer to go on that talk show on channel five, you know, the one hosted by Amanda Greene?"

Earlier he had decided to check his email, which he later found was a mistake. He probably shouldn't have been surprised when he saw his inbox being overwhelmed by thousands and thousands of messages. Emails from fans, haters, paranormal scientists, concerned parents, and even a few companies trying to get an endorsement or an appearance in an ad.

His few social media accounts weren't any better. The few people that knew his usernames must have spread them across the internet like wildfire. He had gone from having nine followers to twenty three thousand in a matter of days. And the number was still rising at a surprising rate.

Dumbfounded, he had scrolled through his mentions. Thousands and thousands of them. He came across a message from a talk show hosted by Amanda Greene, a well known celebrity, on channel five. 'Contact us if you'd be interested in having a platform to address the public with,' it read. 'We can schedule an interview any time! Whatever you decide, we're rooting for you!'

"Wow! Really?" Tucker said excitedly, jolting the youngest Fenton out of his flashback. "That's awesome! If you did that, you'd probably become even more famous than you already are!"

"That's the problem..." The blue-eyed boy muttered under his breath. "What do you think, Sam?"

"Well, you don't owe an explanation to anyone. I just want to make sure you know that." She replied with a level tone. "Personally, I wouldn't do it, but it's your choice."

"It would be a good way to reassure some of the less enthused people that you're not a threat." The African-American boy argued. "I know they're an extreme minority, but even just a few angry people can do a lot of damage if they try."

"Plus the government." Danny piped in tiredly. "They're probably waiting for me to screw up so they can arrest me with a justification. Maybe this could be a way to prevent that, and explain my side of the story."

"If you want some backup, we can go with you." Tucker suggested, wanting to help his friend but probably also wanting to be on TV. "Just putting that out there."

"Shut up, Tuck." Sam replied, seeing through the guise and causing Danny to grin at her reply. "But Danny, if you don't want to go alone, he's right. We could be there as moral support in case things go downhill."

"Thanks for the offer." He said gratefully. "I'll talk to my parents before I make a decision. But either way, I want to let things simmer down for a few days."

"Hey, on the bright side, Vlad isn't here anymore." Tucker stated, changing the subject. "Did you hear they're having an emergency election for a new mayor? You know, since our old one is in space... and don't forget a crazy evil mastermind."

"That's good. The faster we get a sane person in the position, the better." The goth muttered, clearly sharing the younger halfa's hatred for the man.

"Let's hope that whoever it is, they're on my side this time." The blue-eyed boy added. "I can use all the support I can get."

* * *

Before Danny knew it, it was dinner time. Since it was impossible to exit or enter the house, ordering pizza or going out to eat was out of the question. Instead, Maddie Fenton made macaroni and cheese and meatloaf, some family favorites.

"Guess what? There's a petition going around to put up a statue in honor of you saving the world, little brother." Jazz said excitedly soon after the family started eating. "And by the looks of it, almost everyone is in favor of it."

"Are you serious?" He stared at her in disbelief. "Why?"

"You saved the world, silly. People are grateful." She reached across the table to ruffle his hair. He dodged her hand in annoyance.

"In other news, Amanda Greene wants me on her talk show." He shared, laughing at the startled reactions he got.

"That's great, son!" Jack bellowed, shaking the table, causing the family to laugh again.

"We're so proud of you, Danny!" The mother said, happy tears coming to her eyes. "You're growing up so fast."

"How soon does she want you on?" His sister asked.

"I haven't agreed to anything yet. I wanted to get your opinions first." He said with a shrug. "Do you think I should do it?"

"I don't know, honey. I know you're not a big fan of being the center of attention." Maddie said, then chuckled when she processed her statement. "Maybe not anymore, though. You're a world celebrity now, after all."

"You think I wanted this? That's hilarious." He asked, laughing nervously. "The thought of being on live TV in front of millions of people scares me. But maybe it would be a good way to share my point of view and experiences, and to let people know that they can trust me."

"I agree. It's a good opportunity." Jazz piped in before taking a bite of meatloaf.

Danny looked to his father, who had yet to say anything. "Dad?"

"Do it!" He answered with a grin. "My sons going to be on TV! I've gotta call up Ma and the rest of the family! This is amazing!"

The halfa smiled nervously and took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll tell them I'm interested." The other three Fenton's cheered, and the celebratory noise managed to cover up the shouting from outside, if only briefly.


End file.
